Introduce CODEOWNERS, Dependabot auto-merge workflow, and a comprehensive GitHub settings guide. Update issue and pull request templates for clarity and consistency. Enhance dependabot.yml with improved grouping, scheduling, and labeling. Improve README formatting and instructions.

Description

Please include a summary of the change and which issue is fixed.

Type of change

• Bug fix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue)
• New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
• Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected)
• Documentation update

Checklist

• My code follows the style guidelines of this project
• I have performed a self-review of my own code
• I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
• I have made corresponding changes to the documentation
• I have added tests that prove my fix is effective or that my feature works
• New and existing unit tests pass locally with make test